WHITE PAPER

January 17, 1989

From time to time, various exhortations are made from diverse pulpits against the disease of corruption. One of the inherent premises of democracy is that this evil is subject to public scrutiny and therefore effective check. There is no denying the fact that Martial Laws, ostensibly meant to eradicate corruption, end up (because of their longevity) having a Catch-22 effect due to the muzzling of the Press, which in turn makes for a corrupt society, malfeasance having ample opportunity to flourish under an imposed cloak of silence. Now that democracy has been found to be alive and well and living in Pakistan, it is time to turn to accountability in the real sense, not as an end for purposes of political revenge, but to ensure that exposure and punishments work as an effective means of deterrent for the potentially corrupt. The media has to play a responsible and effective role in this process.

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About Ikram Sehgal

In 1971, Ikram Sehgal was taken prisoner of war in East Pakistan and successfully escaped from Indian Authorities. Joined 44 Punjab, he was given a battlefield promotion to Major, left the Army in 1974. He worked as a commercial pilot before starting his own business in 1977. A regular columnist in the print media since 1987, he graduated to his own TV Talk Show. He is a member of World Economic Forum (WEF), International Organization for Migration (IOM) & the Chairman of Pathfinder G4S Pakistan.
Educated at Lawrence College, Murari Chand College, Notre Dame College & the Pakistan Military Academy. Commissioned in 1965.